Page 48 - IBT Sept 2021 (1)

Advertising Industry
By Marjiya Baktyer Ahmed
The
Evolution of
Communication
Sara Zaker, Co-chairperson of Asiatic 3sixty shares her insight into the
ever-changing mediums of advertising, and how digitization is opening new
avenues of exploration for content generation
Asiatic has pioneered the advertising
sector of the country. As one of the
market leaders, can you give us an
overview of how the advertising realm
has evolved over 50 years?
There have been big changes in the
advertising sector. When it started prior to
my joining, there was a simple way of
interacting and communicating with people
– we had press and cinema. Television was
there too but in the mid-60s it wasn’t the
dominant form of media, but slowly it
became an integral medium for the industry.
Radio was also an important medium for the
industry.
In the studio of an advertising agency,
everything was done by hand. The layout
was made, each word was carefully cut out
and pasted – it was a completely manual
process that is significantly different from
how the industry runs today. So, not only
46
September 2021
What were some of the adverse
effects of the pandemic on the
advertising sector? How did the
sector respond and innovate in
view of the challenges that arose?
What are the lessons the industry
has learned?
In any adverse situation, the first cut the
industry makes is on advertising
because its relevance diminishes. This
pandemic was a little different, in the
sense that the sector took a hit, more
sector took a hit. In person events like
specifically the creative aspect of the
fashion shows, talent shows were
impacted, reality shows also took a hit.
These shows are sponsored by brands
and therefore these shows fall within
the parameters of communication/
advertisement.
Concurrently, the pandemic also drew
people to the screens. It became a point
of engagement. Therefore, media buying
was not affected which is also a part of
advertising.
Content on the OTT platform is a major
player in the communication world now.
From what we observe, the OTT
platforms have started to flourish.
Nowadays, people are saying that the
next big platform for advertising will be
the OTT platforms, e.g. a brand may be
placed in a popular platform, the
platform has amassed a big fan
following, that brand subsequently gets
the relevant visibility.
have the mediums changed, but the way in which people work
has also undergone a massive shift. What is a trend in the advertising
Through the 90s, another round of changes started taking sector caused by the pandemic that
hold in the way communication visual advertising was done. is bound to become a permanent
An advertisement meant one entire minute of “promotion of a fixture going forward? Also how
brand or service” for television, cinema, or radio advert. Of has consumer behavior changed?
course, there were the cut-down versions of the advert. Peoples’ behavior has undergone
In the 90s, advertising and communication started to take on change. With prolonged necessity to stay
longer forms, especially social communication messaging e.g. homebound, regular things like parties
if you wanted to tell anybody about health services, family and “in-person” get-togethers have been
planning, education – these messages would be achieved minimized. The digital medium is
through protracted campaigns like a drama that would run for getting people together through FB,
52 weeks to ensure viewers were instilled with a message/s in Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok
each episode. engagements. After the pandemic is
After 2010, another shift began taking shape in the contained, people will continue relying
advertising and communication sector when social media on digital media.
came into the forefront, and digital communication became a In your opinion will the rise of
big player in the market. Till date, this has been the biggest dependency on technology and
shift and the scenario has changed a lot. For advertising, there digitization, will traditional modes
have been waves of change, and where we have landed today of advertising become obsolete?
Traditional modes include television,
is a different realm altogether.
wall paintings, billboards, leaflets, etc. In Bangladesh,
traditional modes of advertising will not change too much. Of
course, it will be impacted. In a conversation with some of the
core members of the advertising and communication sector, we
are already thinking of whatever way we can move so that we
remain relevant to the consumer. As I have mentioned, at the
onset of 2010 and the digital disruption brought on by it has
certainly made an impact causing traditional modes to take a
hit. We were concerned about film-making, but OTT platforms
have offered the space for filmmakers, actors, sound
specialists et al.
Can you give us an understanding of the kind of
messaging and content clients are requesting for?
The brand is up for sale. Advertising offers the chance to hype
up the sale. Now, during the pandemic, when it comes to
messaging, clients have moved towards socially responsible
messaging such alongside. Another thing brands are trying to
do is they are trying to be interactive on social media or digital
media. There is a chase for influencers now and these
influencers are now becoming the vehicle for brands to further
their cause. Earlier they were
the big screen or small screen
stars, now the new avenue
for brands are the social
media influencers.
Can you share some of
the most notable
campaigns Asiatic has
undertaken during the
pandemic?
At the beginning of the
pandemic, we did a campaign
with BRAC where Kuddus
Boyatis rendition “Jaina
Cholen, Maiyna Cholen “
created adequate awareness
about the “dos and don't s”
during a pandemic. Then we
did another campaign with
popular actor Chanchal
Chowdhury, Dilara Zaman, and other Super Stars gave out
messages to educate people about social distancing, hand
washing and follow other relevant health guidelines. This
campaign was done by Asiatic for UNICEF.
Does Asiatic use big data in its advertising operations?
Do you think such targeted ads will become the norm?
Since we do work with notable clients, we do have big data
specialists. Big data allows for very niche customer targeting,
e.g. say you’re 25 years of age, you are interested in fashion,
and you like the songs of Arnob – these metrics can be used to
send a personalized gift. With big data management, you can
translate the information and do targeted outreach.
Technology-driven, focused advertising is being generated
through the usage of big data.